Volunteers at a Turner Valley church are giving warm hugs to Foothills residents requiring winter clothes in an annual tradition. The United Church in the Valley hosts its annual Jacket Racket event, where it accepts clean, gently-used winter clothing for adults and children to provide for those in need across the Foothills. The event began Oct. 1 and ends Dec. 31. “It’s important to have the service so that if people aren’t able to get into a place to buy a coat or if they’re not able to afford a coat that there’s one available to them,” said volunteer Christine Bates. “It’s just basically take what you need and leave what you have. It’s nice to be able to offer that, especially when it gets cold.” Volunteers got a good start in early October with two full racks of winter coats, snow pants, boots, toques, mitts and scarves left over from last year. Within a month, they doubled their stock. “This is probably about the average amount that we usually have right now,” said Bates. “It’s just when people are looking for specific things it’s a matter of trying to help them find what they need.” The public is invited to drop by the church basement Tuesdays from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m., during operating hours of the Oilfields Food Bank, to donate and go through the clothing on display. “Sometimes we notice when it’s warm we don’t really have very many coats going off the shelves but when it’s cold people realize that coat doesn’t fit my kid anymore,” she said. “It fills a need for last minute coat needs when the cold comes on suddenly.” Drop off boxes are located at the municipal buildings in Black Diamond and Turner Valley, as well as the Alberta Treasury Branch in Black Diamond. “We can always use more kids coats, boots, hats and mitts because it’s hard to have a variety of sizes to meet everyone’s needs,” said Bates. Any winter coats, pants and accessories that aren’t used will be taken to charities in Calgary in January.
